Sword Art Online- Vocaloid OPS
by guardianluver
Summary: *takes place after Fairy Dance arc, but not yet Phantom Bullet* The world of Alfheim Online isn't truly deadly, but there are still plenty of tough quests waiting for Lenka, Rin, and Kaiko. However, even after the events of Sword Art Online, the survivors bore scars of their journey. Upon meeting a swordsman who isn't who she seems to be, there seems to be a lot more mystery!
1. Chapter 1

**Sword Art Online- Vocaloid OPS**

 _Note: Before story begins, characters from the original manga were switched out with Vocaloids, like so:_

 _Kirito/Kazuto- Kirito/Kaito_

 _Asuna- Miku_

 _Silica/Keiko- Summer/Rin_

 _Lisbeth/Rika- Lily/Lenka_

 _Leafa/Suguha- Melody/Kaiko_

 _Also, Lenka's last name is NOT Kagamine, it's Crypton in this! Keep this in mind, too: The beginning is much like the manga, but soon I will start to make my own version of the Angel's Whisper Rings quest!_

 _Takes place after the Fairy Dance arc, but doesn't lapse into Phantom Bullet. This will be short. I think only five chapters will top this story._

* * *

 _"Pina! Don't leave me all alone... Pina! Hang in there!" I tripped and fell on the ground, and then a monster rose up behind me and I winced._ Help!

 _A whoosh and a slash, and then the monster was gone. I looked up, recognizing who it was. A blue-haired warrior._

" _Kirito-san!" I cried joyfully._ BEEP!

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP.

 **Name: Rin Kagamine**

 **User: Summer**

I opened my eyes to find myself, not in Sword Art Online, but rather, in my room, faceup. I yawned. _Mm. Felt like I woke up from a nightmare… but I'm not in a bad mood about it?_

A purr sounded next to me, and I realized it was the actual Pina, a small ginger cat that meowed loudly.

"Good morning," I said, kissing it on the forehead. "Pina from this side."

I adjusted my clothes and began to do up my hair, before a beep on my phone sounded and I pulled it out.

"This is-!" I gasped. I ran to school, giddy and excited. The cafeteria was packed and crowded, but I singled out the friend I wanted to see and I called, "Lily-san! Lily-san, did you see this?! The new Ain-" I was interrupted by a jab of a finger and the voice said,

"Argh! How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not 'Lily' in real life, it's _Lenka!_ It's bad manners to call me by my alias in school!"

 **Name: Lenka Crypton**

 **User: Lily**

"I'm sorry, Lily-san," I replied. "I just keep doing it by accident…"

"I know, I know," Lenka replied, handing me a juice box. "Drink this and relax. It's seriously hard not to call you 'Summer the Dragontamer' sometimes, too."

"Sheesh!" I muttered. "I said I was _sorry!_ "

"I know, I know, sorry…" Lenka replied. She gave a crafty smile and said, "So, shall I guess what you came to tell me about?" A wide smile was on my face as both of us shouted at the same time,

"The new Aincrad add-on quest, Angel's Whisper Rings!"

"So you saw it too!" I said. "I want one soo bad!"

"But of course!" Lenka said smugly. "I went to get them in SAO too. After all, it says that _those who trade rings form an eternal bond._ Yes, and on top of that…"

"Those who have exchanged rings… can send each other voice messages once a month!" I said.

"It's so romantic," Lenka said, enraptured.

"As a matter of fact," I said, "I got one from Kirito- um… Kaito-san once."

"Really?"

"Though he seemed to think of it as some kind of phone…"

"Geez, that sounds like something he'd do."

"By the way, Kaito-san's away at Tanegashima on the study program… I sent him an invitation, forgetting he couldn't even log in." I dipped my head in disappointment.

"Yeah, it sucks. Why does he have to be away, at a time like this?" Lenka complained. Then, she realized something then looked at me.

"Wait a minute, Rin. Are you saying you reached out to him before me?" Lenka leaned in.

"Yes. I mean, it said that the Angel's Whisper Ring quest got harder after the ALO transfer update… so I thought it would be too hard for us," I said. "How about Miku? Do you think she's available?" Lenka narrowed her eyes, but said,

"Miku seems to be going through a lot at home."

"Oh, I see. Well, I can't force the issue," I said, pulling out my cell. "How about Melody? I'll call Kaiko-san. She might not be familiar with items from SAO… but she'll be intrigued once I tell her what the rings do." The phone number penned and then, Kaiko's excited voice spoke.

 **Name: Kaiko Shion**

 **User: Melody**

" _Of COURSE I'm in!"_ Kaiko said. _"The Angel's Whisper Rings sound so cool! I'll totally pass the holy angel's trial to get them. Eternal bonds, huh? I know! I'll get two and give one to onii-chan… heheh!"_

Both Lenka and I chuckled at how Kaiko sounded so excited.

"Well, we'll see you after school… in _Alfheim Online! Let's get those Angel's Whisper Rings!_ " The Amuspheres were placed on and then, soon, we were teleported into the game.

[...]

"Oh my dear goodness," said the NPC quest angel in the rose pavilion. "You actually passed the trial? Laaammme. You don't seriously expect anyone's going to believe in some 'eternal bonds' nonsense just because of this measly quest, do you? Next up! Go defeat the demon living in the 'Tower of the Downtrodden' and show me the strength of your bonds or whatever. Hurry up! Chop, chop!"

Melody's eyes were wide open and then she pointed at the angel, and yelled,

"Okay, I've tried to work with this, but this is not the angel I imagined! She should be more austere and dignified!" Both Lily and I laughed.

"She's supposed to be bitter because she's been betrayed by so many humans," I said.

"A LITTLE TOO BITTER, IF YOU ASK ME!" cried Melody.

"Oh, don't worry," said Lily. "She follows the tsundere script, so she'll be nice and friendly before you know it. C'mon." The angel looked up.

"Hey," she said. "I guess you might as well… be careful out there or whatever." The angel tipped her head up.

"You're right," said Melody, her face softening. "She's nicer already…" The angel's face flushed and then she yelled,

"Psyche! Did you really think I'd say that? Losers!" The angel disappeared. "LOSERS!" Melody's face was completely in shock.

"Okay," she said. Then, Melody howled at the top of her lungs, "SHE'S NOT A TSUNDERE! SHE'S JUST A SULKY CHILD!" Both Lenka and I exchanged giggles.

"Melody's reactions," I said in a low tone, "are so funny to watch."

"Geez, is this the kind of quest SAO is stuffed with?" Melody asked in dismay. "This has completely ruined my mental image of angels…"

"Plenty of them are weird," I said, tickling Pina under her chin, "but this is one of the more memorable quests. I mean, the demon we have to go beat is actually a really fluffy bunny."

"A bunny?" Melody asked. "But didn't she say it was a demon?"

"Yes," I said. "A _bunny-shaped_ demon."

"I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw it," Lily said, clenching a fist. "A winged rabbit! A little bit on the big side… so cute, but huge! Later, the angel said, " _I didn't think it was right to threaten you with a big scary demon! Y-y-you got a problem with that?"_ It was actually a pretty weak excuse."

"It was actually harder for me to beat up on a huge, fluffy bunny rather than a demon," I said, fondly remembering the battle between me and the fluffy bunny.

"The true 'dere' part happens in the final battle!" said Lily. "Sure, it looked scary, but whenever you were on the ropes it would occasionally throw buffs on you. I actually knew it was the angel in disguise right away."

"What? It did that for you?" I gasped. "It never did for me. Do you suppose the angel has a affection parameter or something? Maybe if I'd been a little nicer, she'd have shown me favor…"

"ARGH! Stop it!" Melody leaped on both of us. "I haven't done this quest yet! No spoilers, alright? You can't talk about it by yourselves, either!"

"Sorry, Melody," Lily apologized.

"We're sorry, Melody-san," I said.

"Look, I get that it's a fun memory for you guys, but come on…" Melody pouted.

"Look who's lonely!" teased Lily, poking Melody in her cheek.

[...]

"Here we are! That's the Tower of the Downtrodden!" I said, pointing at the tower. "With the three of us, this should be easy! Time for Melody to have some fun with that cuddly-wuddly winged bunny!" Lily pushed open the door, where a roar sounded.

This most certainly, without a doubt, was not a cuddly, wuddly, winged rabbit.

"Wasn't the demon supposed to be a cute winged rabbit unleashed by the angel?!" cried Melody.

"That's what it was supposed to be!" I said. I pondered for a moment, then realized, "But of course! The update! They said the difficulty level had been upgraded after the ALO transfer…"

"But why's it so active with no players around?" Lily asked. Then, we all saw a flash, and a familiar figure. All of us yelled,

"KIRITO-SAN?!"

* * *

 **I'm evil! Cliffhangers are awesome! Yatta! Deban Da! Will describe some more questions and the next next chapter lapses into their backstory.**

 **Guardianluver out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sword Art Online- Vocaloid OPS**

 _Hmm, where oh where oh where did we leave off? Right! The cliffhanger! XD! Right, before I start, I wanted to say: upon taking two quizzes to see which SAO character I was… I got Kirito and Klein. But am I really a pervert at times? I'm always less than optimistic… whatever._

* * *

"Kirito-san?!" we all gasped. The figure leaped at the wide-mouthed monster and slashed down. He leaped at the monster and dodged a claw.

"I don't know what's going on..." I said. "But we have to help him!" The monster gave an earth-shaking roar and black arrows pierced the ground.

"Wide area magic?" Lily shouted in dismay. "Oh no!" Kirito-san slashed in front of us and with a loud _spak-spak-spak_ the bolts were dispersed. A slash crackled at his arm.

"Kiri-!" I shouted. At once, Kirito leaped in front and parried the blow.

"A perfect parry!" Melody shouted. "The enemy's frozen! Now he can go on a counter... but... that fighting style..."

"RAAH!" screamed Kirito, piercing the miniboss. At once, the last gauge disappeared and the monster disappeared with a loud crack.

"Um…" I said. "Thank you for saving us." Kirito turned around, and the person we saw was most definitely not Kirito.

"No, it's my fault for not acting sooner," said the not-Kirito. This guy's hair was longer and the outfit that he wore was slightly different. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

"No," we all said, "thanks to you." We gave him a big glare and he shrugged.

"…so it's not him after all," I said.

"He doesn't use his dual blades normally," said Lily. "And his fighting style is different." We started to chatter amongst ourselves. "But what if he started a new character to try something different?"

"How would making an identical character count as different?" scoffed Melody. "We'd recognize him as once."

"Um… hello?" Kirito asked.

"Oh, sorry! We're just surprised because you look like a friend of ours," I apologized.

"At first, I thought Kirito might be back to his old ways of pushing the limits…" sighed Lily. "I'm relieved it wasn't true."

"Kirito…?" gasped the person. "You know the great Kirito-sama? A-are you SAO survivors?!"

"Y-you too?" I asked. "So you dressed up like that on purpose?"

"Er, actually, it wasn't intentional," gulped the blue-haired person. "When I learned that the new Aincrad was being unveiled, I built a new character in ALO. I set the appearance value to random and it just happened to give me this look. Just like the hero Kirito-sama, who saved us all from SAO!

"I was personally infatuated with his power and ability. So it kind of felt like fate or something. Then I went and got the same equipment…"

"Oh, I see now!" I said.

"Well, color me shocked. We're not the only SAO survivors in ALO after all…" said Lily.

"Is that rare?" asked Melody.

"Well, of course," Lily replied. "SAO was the literal game of death. Almost everyone who was in there wishes they could forget the memories. _We_ might be the crazy ones for going through that and still wanting to play another VRMMO." Lily seemed to remember something, her eyes flickered.

"I…suppose so…" Melody said.

"But… I never expected to meet people here who know Kirito-sama," said the person.

"We're just as surprised as you," we all said.

"By the way, how do you know him-" his sentence was cut off as the ground lurched.

"Huh? That's right…" The ground lurched again and I tumbled. "AAH!"

"SUMMER!" both Lily and Melody screamed.

"Look out!" screamed the blue-haired swordsman, leaping. I hit something with a loud thump and-

"Oww… sorry you had to jump in and help me again- EEK!" I yelped.

"Are you okay? Stay still for a moment..." said the swordsman.

"Th-thank you," I said, then suddenly realized my situation. I turned bright red and jumped back, crying, "Sorry, Kirito-sa- I MEAN, _not Kirito-san!_ "

"Summer! Are you okay?" My friends rushed up and then saw the situation I was in and then Lily chuckled,

"My, Summer, aren't we forward?"

"Eek!" I said. "It's not like that! It just happened when I slipped!"

"I get it," said Lily. "First get off. Or else the harassment warnings will never stop."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I wailed, getting off.

"Wait..." said Melody. "There's no harassment warning!"

"Harassment warning?" the swordsman seemed confused before realizing something and saying. "Oh, I see. I may have dressed up my avatar to look like Kirito, but I'm actually a girl."

 _She's a girl?!_ Our minds screamed. The girl sheepishly grinned before saying,

"Speaking of which, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Aoki. It stands for blue, as in the blue swordsman. Sorry to confuse you, but I really am a girl."

"I'm Summer," I said.

"The name's Lily," said Lily.

"I'm Melody," said Melody courteously.

"That was such a shock," I mumbled. "I didn't know it, you really didn't act like a girl..."

"Oh. I tend not to act lie, a girl, given the way I look," Aoki replied.

"I'm not criticizing you or anything! After all, you did help me beat that boss!"

"It wasn't anything special. I barely beat it. Using these dual blades is basically an act of respect to Kirito. The left blade..." Aoki gestured to the white one. "Is solely used for parrying only. The right blade uses a copy of the one-handed sword skills I used in SAO."

"But wouldn't that apply to everyone?" Lily asked. "Kirito had the dual wielding skill in SAO, but that skill isn't even in ALO yet."

"Still," Aoki said. "I bet if it had been him, he'd have destroyed the monster no sweat." She seemed to steel herself as she said, "I want to be just as strong as him! Strong enough to protect everything on my own! I wish... I had been..."

"Aoki-san..." I said. "Ack!" I smacked into her shoulder and rubbed my nose, Pina resting on my head. "What is it?" I suddenly figured out what when I saw-

"The angel's rose pavilion!" It had been torn up into shreds and the seating was empty. We looked around and then Lily drew a conclusion,

"It appears to have been destroyed..." Lily pointed at a gigantic footprint. "By a giant." As we neared the seating where the angel used to be, I found a feather.

"Huh?" I asked. "What's this?"

"It's a manipulative object," Lily replied.

"Shall I do the honors, then?" I asked.

"Go ahead!" Lily said. I poked the circle button and then a holograph of the angel appeared.

"About damn time you returned!" the angel huffed. "But you've exceeded the time limit. The trial was a failure. I have no ring for you. Now get lost! And don't you dare think of coming after me..." The angel disappeared. Lily gave an eerie grin and then she said,

"I like it! This quest has some action! Maybe it's not just our binds to each other this quest is testing, but to the angel?" She poked the angel feather. "Don't worry, tsundere angel. We're right on your heels."

"Lily seems really excited..." Melody said.

"Alright then! Now, we ought to follow in the giant's footsteps! Aoki, will you join-" my sentence was cut off as Aoki said,

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to do this alone." We looked at her wide mouthed.

"I'm sorry, Aoki, did we do something wrong?"

"No, no!" Aoki apologized. "I just don't have any intention of having a party on this game."

"Oh, but it's an online game and everything..." I said.

"I don't want to form a party," Aoki insisted. "So we must say goodbye here."

"But it's dangerous to go alone!" I cried. "There might be monsters far more dangerous than the ones that you've faced now! You shouldn't go alone!"

"Dangerous?" Aoki laughed. "Ha, ha. You know that's not true, don't you, Summer?" She looked at me. _**"It's just a game again, dying here, doesn't mean dying for real."**_ She smiled. "It was fun talking to all of you. If you wait for a bit, the quest will be reset and you can go off on your own."

She left. Melody said behind me,

"I know it's worrying, but it was Aoki who beat that miniboss. You can't stop her."

"I know. But I wonder..." I said. "I wonder if she lost someone important to her... _In SAO, too."_

"Sunmer..." Lily said.

"So. Shall we follow her, then?" I asked.

"Huh?" Lily and Melody asked.

"If she really wanted to be left alone, I'd leave her alone... But..." I squeezed Pina. " _You don't smile like that if you want to be left alone_. If she really did want to be left alone, I wouldn't go snooping around, but if she's hiding something, I want to be a source of strength to her!" _Just like Kirito was when he reached out for me..._ I thought, remembering Pina's death.

"And this might be a completely private reason to bother her... But..." I gulped. "Could you really ignore a Kirito-san like that?"

Both Lily and Melody looked like they had been slapped upside the head.

"Did you just go there?" Melody demanded.

"Oh, I went there," I replied.

"Even after we knew it wasn't him, he's still a big part of the reason," sighed Lily. "Sometimes I can't stand that guy!"

"Let's go!" I said. "No regrets!" We followed the giant's footsteps, hoping to catch up to Aoki.

* * *

 **This a scene that reveals something about Aoki and her experience in SAO. However, the next chapter... Nope, not right now! Hahahahaha! The next story is being prepped to update! See you all then!**

 **Did you like the chapter? Leave a review! Bye~~~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sword Art Online- Vocaloid OPS**

* * *

" _Here," she'd said. "You can have this! It's an 'Angel's Whispers Ring!'"_

 _Back in SAO, I couldn't trust anyone._

" _It's an item that symbolizes the bond between two people. It was actually pretty hard to get! You're supposed to have two and exchange them, but since we only have one, it's just this one-way thing. It goes from me to you."_

 _Even then… she'd reached out for me._

" _I just hope that someday… you'll be able to get one and make it a proper deal."_

 _So I just want… to grant you that one wish…_

Aoki pushed open the dungeon's door, and entered.

[…]

"Here we are," I said, pointing at the door. "This is where the giant's footsteps lead. Do you think that Aoki-san's alright?"

"I think she's fine," replied Melody. "You saw how tough she was against that boss earlier."

"In battle terms, isn't it you who'd be in more danger, Summer?" teased Lily.

"Th-that's not true!" I exclaimed. "Um… I think…"

"Oh, I'm just _kidding!_ You're always a huge help, Summer," replied Lily, patting me on the back. "So…" she approached the door, a hand on it. "Everyone ready?"

"Yes!" we both cried.

"But not just for the battle ahead," Lily turned towards the door. "I mean for how she might react… after warning us not to come."

"I'm ready!" I said, putting on a tough face.

"Good answer," said Lily. "Then, let's go." She pushed open the door for a horrifying sight. A gigantic hourglass was in the center of the room, slimes pouring out of pores at the bottom with a timer engraved at the top, ticking down seconds.

"Whoa!" screamed Melody. "What is this?! Slimes? They're everywhere! Are you supposed to survive through the countdown?" She looked up at the ticking timer.

"There's no way a solo player can handle all of this!" Lily shouted. The slimes were oozing around, sliding. Aoki-san's blue coat fluttered as she hit another slime, smacking it to pieces.

"You guys?" she said, looking up at us. "Why did you come here?"

"Aoki-san!" I cried, jumping up to her, drawing my dagger. I sliced a slime and got behind her back.

"I told you, I want to do this alo…" Aoki tried to talk and was interrupted by me saying,

"I'm sorry!" Aoki looked shocked.

"I heard what you said, and I understand. But even so, I couldn't let you go like that," I said, while attacking another slime. "If you've got something heavy on your mind… I want to help. The reason you look so much like Kirito-san so that we can help you, as his friends!"

Aoki bit her lip, her gaze hardening as she shouted,

"Summer, that's none of your…" Both of us exchanged glances and were thoroughly interrupted by a yell of disgust,

"EWW!" It was Lily. Her armor was dissolving. "What's with these slimes?! They spit ACID?! IT'S RUINING MY ARMOR! THE DAMAGE IS REALLY HIGH!" Her HP bar was rapidly decreasing and then Aoki's eyes widened.

"Lily-san!" I cried, turning towards her. I didn't see a slime raising up behind me, ready to spit out an acid payload. Aoki gripped her swords and I heard a slashing sound behind me.

"Aoki-san! Thanks!" I cried. Aoki's feet hit the ground and she commanded me,

"Summer, swing around the left, and gather the enemies up. I'll hack away from the front."

"Aoki-san!" I said, amazed at her commanding attitude.

"I'm not saying that we should work together. We're just handling this floor's battle simultaneously," Aoki-san said stiffly. "We'll start from there."

"Okay!" I said. I leaped up and followed my friends into fighting the slimes.

 _Summer… you're just as nosy and kindhearted as she was._

 _And this time…_ Aoki held up her blue and white blades. _I'll keep you alive!_

"SEIYA!" Aoki screamed, slashing at the slimes, destroying them one by one by one.

"Yo, Summer!" Lily shouted, looking at me staring at Aoki fighting.

"We're going to knock out the slimes first," I told her. "Then we can talk."

"Okay," Lily said, turning around to look at the slimes. "Sounds good. The problem with these slimes is… they're not hard to beat… but there are too many to handle safely." Another slime prepared to spit out an acid payload.

"Arrrgggh!" screamed Melody, trying to cover up exposed cleavage. "These armor-melting attacks are terrible! The GMs must be DEMONS! Plus this damage is really starting to add up!"

Lily's armor was splitting, the sleeves were undone, and her breastplate was thoroughly worn out, revealing her stomach.

"I-" I tried. "I'm just glad the real Kirito-san isn't here to see this!" The back of my armor was splitting apart. Oh good grief…

Aoki raised her arm to take the aim of an acid blast aiming for Lily's back, causing the acid to destroy her sleeve even more. She took the white blade and slashed it into the slime, causing it to split apart. Aoki gritted her teeth, her armor ragged.

"Aoki-san!" cried Lily.

 _Aoki-san's taken the most damage of anyone… because she's been so busy covering for us!_ I realized.

"We've got to finish this challenge quick, or we won't last!" I realized. The last slime slid out of the hourglass.

"That's the last one!" I screamed. "Now as long as we can wipe out the slimes that are sliding around…!" Aoki-san jumped up in front of us and I exclaimed, "Um, Aoki-san?!"

"THIS IS THE END!" she screamed.

"You can't do that, Aoki-san! Don't rush ahead…" I yelled, but she'd used a heavy sword-combo attack that had wiped out the slimes around her. _Just three left!_ Aoki thought. She threw out her blade but she didn't reach them, the blade hitting the floor. _I didn't reach them?!_ She realized the situation she was in and bit her lip. _Damn. I'm frozen after using that heavy attack…!_

"Watch out!" I screamed, jumping in front of Aoki. Aoki's eyes widened as she saw a warrior with long blonde hair attacking the monster, wearing a spring green cloak. Her hands spread out wide, and then she gave a long piercing scream.

"Aah!" I yelled, seeing acid splatter in my face. I fell back and Aoki managed to grab on.

"SUMMER!" Lily and Melody yelled. Both of them leapt into action and cut down the last slimes. Both of them turned to look at the hourglass and then Melody panted out,

"That… was the last one!"

I gulped. My head began to spin as I said,

"Whoa! Taking those three hits really made my head spin! And my HP is nearly gone!" I yelped, looking at my bar. "Good thing I was able to withstand it for you. Oops," I said, turning around. "Sorry about bumping into you like that, Aoki-san…"

Aoki's face was spilling with tears. I gasped as then she leaned forward, crying out.

"WHY?! WHY DID YOU PROTECT ME?!" She was leaning towards something I couldn't see. "WHY?! _WHAT'S THE POINT OF DOING that…? IF YOU NEVER COME BACK?!_ " Her swords clattered to the ground. "I don't want to ever go through that again! Don't leave me all alone…" she gripped my hand. "Rossa!" She was wiping at her face… whispering, "Why…."

 _I knew it,_ I thought, seeing her hands latch onto my arms. _She did lose someone close to her. And that's why she does it all alone…_

"Calm down, Aoki-san," I whispered, hugging her. "I'm just fine. I'm right here." Aoki's blue eyes were clouded, shaking.

"Summer, Aoki, you okay?" Lily asked, walking over to us.

"I'm alright. But Aoki-san…"

"What happened to her?" Melody asked.

"I don't know for certain… but let's give up on this quest for now and head back to town."

"Good idea. In that case…" Melody turned towards the hourglass and gasped, "Wait! The countdown's still running-"

It hit zero.

"AAH!" screamed Lily, hearing the chamber crack. "What's going on?"

"The room… shifted?" I asked hoarsely.

" _ **Welcome to my chamber."**_

"Is this what I think-?!" I gulped in dread. "Was it just a teleporter to the boss chamber…?"

" _ **Now watch, angel, as the bonds you held so dear crumble into dust!"**_

* * *

 **You hate me now, don't you?**

 **Guardianluver is out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sword Art Online- Vocaloid OPS**

* * *

"A forced teleport to the boss chamber?!" I cried, seeing the humongous boss looking down on us.

 _How can they throw us into a boss fight in our current condition?!_ I thought, dismayed. Everyone's health was dangerously low. It wouldn't take more than a critical hit to finish us off. _There's no escape from this place!_

"First we need healing!" Melody shouted, summoning a blue aura as she chanted, " _ **Thu fylla heilagr…**_ " The boss brandished a ginormous club and slammed it down. Melody's blue aura disappeared as she cried in dismay,

"It interrupted my cast!" She lifted her hand up again, attempting to recast the spell.

 _There's no way for us to recover,_ I thought sadly. _We're all…_ the boss lifted up its club, preparing to strike again. _About to get wiped out… we can't start over from town, not after we came this far…_ I squeezed my eyes shut, despairing over the fact we wouldn't be able to get the Angel's Whisper Rings. I waited for the death blow…

Aoki leaped into the air, parrying the boss's blow, but she ended up being blown back in midair and she panted as she slid on the floor.

"Aoki-san!" I shouted.

"Aoki!" Melody yelled. Aoki's HP bar was low, so very low, and she growled…

"You can't die on me… I'm tired of people disappearing…" her voice rose to a wail. "I can't take it anymore!"

"Aoki?" Melody gasped, surprised at the outburst. Lily, too looked surprised.

 _There is no death in this world,_ I realized. I cleared my throat and spoke to the both of them,

"Just a moment earlier, Aoki-san seemed confused. When I stepped in to protect her, she was seeing someone else…" The shadow of the girl Aoki called 'Rossa' seemed to come over me.

 _But if we don't do something…_ I thought. _Aoki-san's heart itself will wither and die!_ It was as if Lily could hear my thoughts, because she slapped herself in the cheek and began giving out commands.

"I'll draw the enemy away," she said, and then she turned to Melody and told her, "Melody, you focus on healing."

"Alright," Melody said.

"Summer," Lily said, turning to me. "You take care of Aoki." She lifted up her index finger and jabbed it at me. "Show me you have what it takes to own up to your own choice of going after her!"

"I will!" I yelled. Lily leaped into action, raising her mace.

" _ **Thu fylla…**_ " muttered Melody. _**"Heilagr austr…**_ " her fingers began to glow, and she swept her hand and yelled, " _ **Brott svalr bani!**_ "

The air around Lily twinkled. Lily smiled. "Thanks, Melody," she seemed to say. The boss raised his club and slammed into the area where Lily once stood. She screamed,

"I've got… my own moments too, y'know!" She leaped into the air. "Hi-yaah!" The mace slammed into the monster's kneecap and he wobbled, unsteady.

" _ **Svalr bani!**_ " Melody chanted before yelling, "Nice shot, Lily-san!"

"No sweat!" Lily yelled. She turned around and yelled, "I'm over here, monster!" The boss stormed after her, as I watched.

 _It's times like this…_ I thought, _that Lily-san really shines._

"Pina! I cried, seeing a cloud of sparkly blue appear. "Thanks for the healing." I nuzzled Pina's nose. I slapped my face to tell myself to concentrate.

"Aoki-san!' I called, running up to her.

"Summer!" There was a hint of desperation in Aoki's voice. "You have to get away from here. I'll handle him…" she tried to stand up but she slumped to the ground, whispering, "Damn… why can't I move? Why now? When I just want to protect you.

"When I want to make sure I don't lose you again!" Aoki screamed.

"Aoki-san, calm down," I pleaded.

"I need strength…" whispered Aoki. "Strength like Kirito the hero…" she clenched her swords. "Enough strength to protect every single thing on my own…"

"You're wrong," I whispered. "The hero Kirito that you worship, the one who saved SAO, wasn't alone. Kirito-san said that it was everyone who lived through SAO that succeeded in freeing it.

"Those on the middle and lower floors who supported us. Those on the front lines who fought alongside us. Those precious souls… at our side. It was through a great many people coming together that we achieved our goal.

"That's what he's like," I said. "And it's why we're able to fight at his side. He's not alone. We won't let him be. And the same goes for you!" Both Lily and Melody gave smiles, and I too smiled as I opened up my menu. I scrolled before pressing the circle button. A screen popped up in front of Aoki.

"A party request?" she questioned.

"Yes," I said. _I want Aoki-san to choose to be with us out of her own free will…_ "Let's fight together!" I said. Aoki looked as if she'd press the circle button, but faltered.

"But…" she whispered.

"Pwee!" said Pina.

"What? Pina…" Pina sprayed a cloud of sparkly healing breath over Aoki, while she sat there, completely pokerfaced while I gasped out in shock.

"Aah! Pina, how could you?!" I snatched Pina aside. "Don't worry, it's just healing breath!" Aoki still didn't respond, until-

"Pfft! Ah, that's so funny," Aoki laughed.

"Aoki-san!" I shrieked in absolute horror. Aoki smile.

"But I suppose even tamed beasts act without orders," Aoki said, wobbling slightly as she stood up.

"No, that's not how it's supposed to work-" I tried to stammer.

"Oh. What a strange little creature with a mind of its own. It's almost as if it's not digital data." Aoki reached out and rubbed Pina's head. "Perhaps in your mind, I'm already a member of the party." She sighed, holding her hands out. "My hands. They're still shaking. I'm still terrified by the thought of someone disappearing."

"Don't worry!" I said fiercely. "We'll never just vanish!" Aoki smiled, then brought up the party request, pressing the circle button. I grabbed her hand.

"Let's beat this quest together!" I said. "As a team!"

[…]

" _ **You share no special bond,**_ " rumbled the boss. We all charged as the boss lifted his club and roared, " _ **Bow before my overwhelming might!**_ "

"Eeyaa!" I screamed. The hit sent me flying and I hit the floor. I opened up my inventory, selecting my last potion, glugging down its contents. The potion crackled into iridescent pieces in my hand.

"There goes my last potion," I sighed. "And Melody-san's mana points are about to run out. But…" I turned to the boss. "The boss still has an entire HP gauge left!"

"It was rough of them to chuck us into this godforsaken boss fight after the slimes," Lily's voice groaned.

"Lily-san?" I asked.

"On top of that…" Lily gestured to the boss's chest. "His chest is the spot that takes the most damage, but he's conveniently draped the tsundere-angel right in the way!

"Just what we need- a classic damsel in distress," Lily finished, drinking her potion.

"Ha-ha, good point," I chuckled weakly. "Shall we go ahead and attack, knowing she won't be happy about that?"

The potion exploded in Lily's hand before she smirked.

"No way," she said. "If she acts differently when you spare her, I'd rather hold back and see what our tsundere-angel does!" Lily leaped into the air.

"Good point, I'd like to see that!" I replied. Meanwhile, Melody had made her way to the boss's armpit, when she drew her katana and screamed,

"Seiya!" The thwack of the blade hitting its mark made her satisfied, but then the boss retaliated by swinging.

"Melody-san! Switch out!" shouted Aoki. _Ill execute a perfect parry… and finish with a blow!_ She swung her blue blade, but it didn't make it. _Oh no, my timing was off!_ Melody smashed her blade into the giant's club before taking the impact of the attack.

"Whew! That was a close one!" Melody panted.

"I'm sorry," Aoki apologized. "I screwed up the parry and you had to cover for me…"

"No worries!" Melody winked. "Thanks for trying to help, though!" She flew away. Aoki bit her lip, feeling her hands trembling.

 _Damn!_ Aoki thought furiously. _I only want to help… but my hands won't stop shaking… right after they welcomed me with open arms!_

" _ **Let the bolts of lightning spray!**_ " rumbled the boss. Lightning crackled around the club.

"Here comes the area attack!" I yelled.

"We've got to dodge the bolts!" Lily cried.

"I know!" Melody exclaimed. The bolts smashed as we began to play a deadly game of dodge.

 _It's a huge wide-area blast!_ I thought.

"Ack!" screamed Lily, electrocuted by a bolt.

 _It might be difficult to avoid… but that just means it'll take him longer to recover after using it!_ The giant had completely froze, making him an easy target.

"Yaaah!" I roared, charging, while Melody and Aoki were behind me. Hitting the chest was now easier, due to the boss being incapable of movement.

 _If we can just…_ I thought, _get him all the way down-!_ The HP bar hit red and the boss's eyes flashed.

"Huh?! Why? He should've had a longer cooldown period!" I yelled.

" _ **I praise you for pushing me to my limit**_ ," the boss said. He raised his club.

"It must be set to reduce the interval when his health is low!" Aoki realized. _At this rate, we won't be able to evade or find cover in time!_

" _ **This is the end for you, little winged insects!**_ " the boss roared. We all slid to the ground, as the boss prepared a combo, but it was Lily who leaped ahead, taking the hit.

"Not so fast!" she yelled.

"Lily-san!" I cried. Lily bit her lip. _He took down all my HP, even with my guard up! His combo isn't even stopping!_

The angel opened her eyes, a golden aura glowing around her.

"Stop, Lily-san! You can't hold out! You've got to run for it!" Aoki screamed.

"It's alright!" Lily replied. Aoki and I stared at her, surprised. The angel spread her wings and yelled,

"What are you doing?! If you're going to come all the way to rescue me, then do it right!" It was a healing, regeneration buff.

"Is this the angel's healing magic?!" gasped Melody, remembering what Lily had said about the buffs.

"Even back in SAO, the angel gave us help when she was sparkling with her eyes open!" Lily yelled. "But now… we can hold out!" Lily's HP gauge fell once more.

 _Why?_ Aoki thought. _You don't really die in this game world. They must have resurrection items on hand. Why are they going through this reckless pain… just for the sake of my weak mind and heart?_

 _I want to fight… I want to fight with them!_ Aoki leaped up into the air.

"Here comes the next attack! Lily-san, get back…" I said.

"Everybody back!" Aoki yelled.

"Aoki?!" I gasped.

"I'm going to stop him!" Aoki yelled. "Just let me…" _Maybe they won't let me handle this, knowing what a wreck I am. But…_

"Okay," I said. "We understand!" The boss swung downwards. Aoki swept a blade to the side. _The trembling stopped. It was that easy. Now, I can trust them to handle the rest, while I do what I need to do._

 _Focus on the timing of the parry. Right on that single point… and pierce._ Aoki jabbed into the chest, causing the boss to halt in his tracks. Aoki yelled,

"NOW!"

"YAAAH!" we roared, charging. The angel lifted up her wings and a volley of hits smashed into the boss's chest. The boss's eyes dimmed as his HP bar hit zero.

" _ **Impossible…**_ " the boss murmured. " _ **How could I be undone… with the bonds between mere insects?**_ " The angel dropped to the ground, and we gave ecstatic cries.

"We did it!" Even Aoki was smiling. The angel spread her wings, standing up. She huffed,

"Nice going… fairies. I don't recall ever asking you to come save me… but thanks."

"She was 'tsun' to the end," commented Melody sheepishly.

"I have seen your bond for myself," said the angel. Her wings were disappearing around her. "I suppose it was worth the trouble taking the form of an angel. May your connection last long." Valkyries floated around the angel as the angel transformed into a goddess. "I now enhance your bonds… with the angel's blessing."

"A host of Valkyries?" asked Melody.

"Does this mean she's a goddess in the form of an angel?" said Aoki.

"I suppose so," I replied.

"Kinda funny how they adopted it into an ALO quest," said Lily, satisfied. The goddess disappeared, and four silver rings appeared in everyone's palm.

"Look what we got!" said Lily ecstatically. " _Angel's Whisper Rings!_ " We left the boss room, a wooden door now having appeared.

Entering the forest, Lily commented,

"Well, that quest was a real butt-kicker!"

"The difficulty was set super-high," Melody agreed. Aoki gripped her fist, and then said,

"I have a suggestion. Why don't the four of us exchange rings?"

"Are you sure, Aoki-san? You were doing this quest on your own to get a ring, right?" I asked.

"Yes," Aoki said. "The reason I was trying my hardest to beat the quest… was to fulfill a promise I made to someone in SAO back when I had lost all trust in others… she gave me one of these, and died in the act of protecting me from harm." Lily and Melody looked horrified at the fact.

"The thing is…" Aoki began speaking again, "she was so pushy about doing good for the sake of others… I feel like she'd be happier knowing I used it for the sake of future friends rather than on her… now that she's gone. That's just… what Rossa was like.

"B-but I'm not going to force you, of course-" Aoki said, apologizing. I grabbed her hand and slipped my ring onto her finger.

"Maybe it was Rossa-san… who helped you meet us," I said, smiling. "So that means it's not just the four of us, it's five!"

"Summer… Melody… Lily…" Aoki whispered, looking at her hand. _Rossa._ "Thank you."

"Then I'll get Aoki's!" giggled Lily, snatching the ring from Aoki's fingers.

"Aww!" whined Melody.

"Losers, weepers!" cackled Lily. "You can have mine, Melody."

"Well, I'd be glad to take it, but still…"

Aoki giggled and turned to me.

"All I've been doing is leveling my skills, so I don't know much about ALO. Will you teach me?" Aoki asked, turning to me.

"Oh, really? In that case…" I summoned my wings. "Welcome to the Land of Fairies… 'Alfheim Online!' Come enjoy the game with us!"

"I will!" Aoki said. "Oh right…" she said, leaping into the air. "I want you all to know… my real name… is Luka Megurine. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

* * *

 **OMIGOD. THIS CHAPTER IS a WHOPPING 2,000 and something words. The next chapter will be the epilogue.**

 **I hope you enjoyed Sword Art Online- Vocaloid OPS.**

 **Guardianluver out!**


	5. Epilogue

**Sword Art Online- Vocaloid OPS**

 **Epilogue**

* * *

"I have to say," I said, "that was a huge surprise, the day that Luka-san transferred to our school." We were changing for the unified gym class.

"I mean, to hear someone suddenly start yelling your avatar names at school…" sighed Lenka.

" _Summer! Lily!" a voice said. "I finally found you!" A girl with floofy pink hair clasped our hands, smiling._

Um, who?! _All of us thought._

"It's kind of shocking when a person you don't know comes up…" Lenka said, "And grabs your hand out of nowhere."

"Sorry about that," stammered Luka. "I just realized that you and Su- I mean, Rin-san resembled your ALO avatars, so I couldn't help myself…"

 _What was weirder was the fact that Aoki, who looked so much like Kirito… turned out to be such a floofy girl like her._

"A true, real shocker…" I muttered, putting my hands to my chest. My chest seemed flat compared to Luka's. "First Kaiko-san, and now this…"

"Were you just eyeing what I think you were, Rin?" snickered Lenka.

"I wasn't eyeing anything at all!" I said, turning away, zipping up my gym jumpsuit jacket.

"I wasn't able to go to school right after returning from SAO," said Luka, "so it's less than a transfer than just I finally got in. I needed a good push on the back in real life." She smiled. "Thank you."

Both Lenka and I exchanged big smiles, before Lenka patted Luka on the shoulder and said,

"Hurry up getting changed, and let's go."

"Okay," said Luka, zipping up her jacket.

[…]

"I wonder what I should wear…" I sighed.

"What, you got a date?" asked Lenka, surprised.

"No, not real clothes. I'm talking about my armor in ALO. Ever since the slimes in that 'Angel's Whisper Rings' quest melted my clothes, I've had to wear a huge cloak around," I said. "They messed up my outfit up _so_ badly, I'll need to ask someone with a really high tailoring skill to fix it…"

"Heh-heh-heh…" laughed Lenka.

"Um, Lenka-san, what is it?" I asked.

"As a matter of fact, the great Lenka has procured a lead you might find interesting!" Lenka said, sounding accomplished.

"Ooh! Really?!" I cried. The volleyball we were playing with bopped Luka on the head. "What do you mean? Explain!"

"Hee-hee, well… remember Ashley-san, from SAO?"

"The brilliant seamstress who maxed out the tailoring skill?!" I said. "Is Ashley-san playing SAO, now?"

"Yep, and I bet you can ask her to repair your clothes," Lenka replied. "Miku used to call on Ashley-san during all the SAO days, so… she told me, _I just ran into her at random in ALO. She's mastered the tailoring skill here too. Want me to tell her about you?_ She offered to set us up."

"Lenka-san, you're acting like you did ALL of this yourself… but it sounds like this is thanks to Miku-san."

"Hey, I can take credit for whatever my friends do! It's what sharing is all about!" said Lenka playfully. "It's good to know though, right? We have tomorrow off. Wanna invite Kaiko and go see her?"

"Yeah! Why don't we meet up at my house and log in?" I asked. "I've always wanted to have a girl's hangout so we can log in together. I mean, I know it doesn't make a difference where we log in from."

"Yeah, that sounds fun," Lenka replied. "How about you, Lenka?"

"Yes, I want to see Rin-san's house! I just found a great cake shop, so I can splurge for one," replied Luka.

"We'll meet at Rin's tomorrow, then!"

"I'll invite Kaiko-san!" I said.

"Gather 'round, girls! Less talking!" yelled the coach.

[…]

"Huh?" gasped Luka. "Kaiko-san! You're Kirito-sama… er, san's sister?!"

"Yeah, you might say that. I didn't know when to bring it up," sighed Kaiko. Luka's eyes twinkled and she snatched Kaiko's hands.

"Next time we should log in at Kaiko-san's house!"

"H-huh?!" yelped Kaiko.

"Ooh, at Kaiko-san's house?" cackled Lenka.

"That sounds like fun!" I giggled.

"Wait, you guys! What are you thinking?" shrieked Kaiko.

"Well, don't you want to go snooping at what's underneath his bed?" Lenka cackled.

"Or elsewhere?" I asked.

"N-no! Nope! No way! Absolutely not!" Kaiko screamed. "I must protect onii-chan's secrets!"

"Ha-ha, I'm just kidding, Kaiko. Or have you already searched down there for yourself?" giggled Lenka.

"Of course I haven't!" screamed Kaiko.

"Now that I've had my fun at Kaiko's expense," Lenka said, "shall we go in?"

"Good idea," I replied. "She's too cute to be teased."

"Oh!" Luka exclaimed. "I'm sorry. I'll be a little late. Can you wait for me in the game?"

"Huh?" asked Lenka.

"I want to start a brand-new character from scratch," Luka said.

"Huh? What about Aoki?" I gasped.

"Aoki is the part of me that seeks a lonely strength, the kind that Kirito-san has. But now I've learned that his strength isn't really like that," Luka said. "Plus, I don't want to confuse anyone who actually knows him, like you. Besides, I decided I want to play the game with you as myself."

"Luka… what if you decided to carry over your SAO character data?" I said.

"My SAO data…" whispered Luka. "Is that possible?"

"Yes!" I said. "That's how we got our current characters."

"Remember what you said at school?" Lenka asked. "Remember what you said? Our game characters look just like our real selves."

"But… I don't, because I never went to SAO…" Kaiko whined.

"You're fine just the way you are as Melody-chan!" I screamed.

"You look so cute with the pink hair and everything!" stammered Lenka.

"Do I?" Kaiko asked. She turned to Luka, and smiled, saying, "But… wouldn't it be nice to carry over your old avatar and bring all the memories with you?"

Luka looked surprised, and then Kaiko realized the insensitivity of the words she had just said.

"I-I'm sorry! I forgot, you lost your friend…" She bowed her head.

"No, it's okay, thanks, Kaiko-san. Lots of stuff happened, it's true… but there were plenty of memories I never want to forget." Luka closed her eyes. 'I've made up my mind. I think I'll port over my SAO save data.

"Will you wait for me in Swilvane? I decided that if I want to switch over, I want to be a Sylph."

"Luka, it's alright, we get it," Lenka said.

"We'll meet up in Swilvane," I said. We began the game.

[…]

Luka had entered the 'Choose your player' menu. She looked at Aoki, the character she had met her friends for the first time in. She smiled.

"Aoki." She approached the character, and smiled once more. "Thank you." She opened up the 'port character data' button, and a menu popped up. _Now transferring existing character data to game._

Her hands trembled, but Luka held back all her fears with a memory of Rossa smiling in her head.

 _It's alright. It's not that game of death waiting for me anymore. This time, it's a bright future with Summer, Lily, and Melody…_

With a loud jingle, it alerted her that her character was ready to play.

[…]

"It sure is taking Luka awhile," Lily commented, tugging at her cloak.

"So she won't look like Aoki-san anymore…" I sighed.

"Are you upset about that?" Lily asked, surprised.

"Well, it will be weird to interact with the same person in a different character," I muttered.

"Aha!" exclaimed Melody. "Here she comes." In an explosion of binary, there was a character who looked much like Luka in real life, and she smiled as her feet hit the ground.

Melody noticed something, a crackling of letters at her boot.

 _Huh?_ Melody thought.

"Summer, Lily, Melody. Thanks for waiting. If you please… this avatar's name is Merli. A pleasure to meet you again," said Merli.

Everyone stared at her, agape.

"You talk different," I stammered.

"Huh? Oh, that's been my style in VR, even before Aoki. Is it weird?" Merli asked, tipping her head to the side.

Both Lily and I stared at each other.

"Huh?! Is it weird…? Really weird?"

"Uh, sorry, sorry," I said. "I was worried you'd be completely different after converting, but you're just as much Aoki-san as you ever were. I'm relieved. Oops! I mean, um, Merli-san!"

"Thanks, Summer."

"Well, you definitely threw me for a loop when I met you in real life for the first time," Lily commented. "I guess you're the person who takes on a new personality when you get a username!"

"Do you think so?" asked Merli. Melody was standing behind Merli, confused. She was sure she'd seen that thing. She lifted up Merli's skirt, and Merli screamed out a,

"Hyaa!"

… _? I could have sworn I saw something…_ a scream interrupted Melody.

"Melody! What was that for?" screamed Merli, snatching her cloak back.

"Huh? Um, I…" Melody turned around to see me staring at her. "No, it's not like that, I was just-"

"Sexual harassment is bad, Melody," I said with a pokerface.

"No, that's not what I-!"

"Yeah, yeah," snickered Lily, throwing a hand back. "Quit goofing around or I'll leave you behind."

"Ah! Hang on!" I yelled, hopping into the air. "C'mon… _let's fly to see Ashley-san!"_

 **END**

* * *

 _BONUS: Summer's Question_

"By the way, Merli-san," said Summer. "Why did you hold the swords backward from the way Kirito-san did when you were playing as Aoki-san?"

"Huh? Backward?" Merli asked, confused.

"Yes. He carried the white blade in his left hand and the black one in his right. I noticed you did it the other way round, like a mirror image. I was wondering if there was some kind of meaning behind that."

Merli began to tremble.

"Ah! Sorry! If you'd rather not say," said Summer, worried, but that wasn't the reason Merli was trembling.

"I had it backwards?" she gasped. "Hyaa! But I checked in the mirror and everything…!"

"That's why!" Summer said, alarmed.

 _She's a ditz!_

* * *

 **I hoped you enjoyed Sword Art Online- Vocaloid OPS. The rest of the mysteries, including Ashley-san, are up to your own interpretation.**

 **Guardianluver out!**


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